KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability, solutions and consumer advocacy. Share your story with Isabella.
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For every picture you share on Facebook or comment you make on an Instagram post, all of that information is stored in one of Meta's 28 data centers across the country.
Meta’s data center in Kansas City's Northland is operational as of Wednesday, Aug. 20. The center broke ground in 2022.
KSHB 41 News got an inside look at Meta's new data center off Highway 169.
"Today is a great day for big tech in Kansas City," Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said.
The $1 billion investment in Missouri is now officially serving traffic.
"Our data centers, they're the backbone of everything that Meta ultimately does," data center community and economic development director Bradley Davis said.
Meta boasts an average of 1,500 skilled trade workers who helped construct the site at its peak. Now that the site is operational, it will support 100 jobs.
Across 1.4 million square feet, you'll find thousands of computers, servers and fans. Thousands of miles of fiber also run through the three Meta data center buildings and warehouses.
Data centers use extremely large amounts of water and electricity to keep the facilities running 24/7.
Davis explained that the tech giant is using cooling systems more efficiently than industry standards to give more water back to the KC grid than they plan to use up.
"We work hand in hand with KC Water to make sure that the infrastructure is supportive of it," Davis said. "We spent about $50 million in bolstering the local infrastructure that included water and sewer infrastructure, as well as local roadway improvements."
But Meta isn’t the only data center coming to Kansas City.
One Google data center is under construction near Worlds of Fun, and another is reportedly in the works.
A tech firm is eyeing a 20-year project to bring six data centers north of the Kansas City International Airport.
On the Kansas side, a multi-billion-dollar data center was proposed in May in Wyandotte County.
Plus, reports indicate that Mount Sunflower Properties, LLC, is working to provide a data center in De Soto, near the Panasonic EV battery plant.
With so many data centers coming to the metro, there are concerns about the impact they will have on the environment.
KSHB 41’s Isabella Ledonne found that KC data centers alone could use millions of gallons of water each day.
Meta’s Northland data center could use up to 9.5 million gallons each day, while an average Kansas City household uses just under 100 gallons per day.
In an effort to lessen the center’s impact on the community, Meta said the center’s electricity use is matched with 100% clean and renewable energy. Meta also said on-site retention ponds will be used to help save more than 1 million gallons of potable water.
"It's important for us to be good stewards of water," Davis said. "This is our home, we want to make sure that it thrives the same way that we do."
Now that Meta's Kansas City Data Center is serving traffic, it joins the company's global infrastructure, which serves billions worldwide.
"[Kansas City] had a great shovel-ready site that allowed us to move forward quickly," Davis said. "It has great access to infrastructure and electricity."
State leaders have stated that data centers provide Missouri with a good return on economic development and thousands of construction jobs.
"Together, we are advancing Missouri's reputation as a state where world-class companies like Meta can thrive," Missouri Department of Economic Development director Michelle Hataway said.
However, some have criticized Missouri's tax incentives for data centers. Tech companies do not have to pay sales tax on the billions of dollars worth of equipment inside data centers.
"There's less money to spend on very important public services such as public health care, public schools and infrastructure development," Kasia Tarczynska, a research analyst with Good Jobs First, said.
As part of the return on Kansas City's investment, Meta provides funding and donations for the community.
Such funding has been provided to Clay County, Platte County, the City of KCMO, schools, nonprofits and Data Center Community Action Grants. Those grants went to organizations such as the KC STEM Alliance, WeCode KC, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City, and more.
"That money goes to help us expand our footprint and reach more kids in Kansas City to try and give them that opportunity to come into the STEM field," KC STEM Alliance executive director Chelsea Barbercheck said.
With the explosion of AI, the demand for data centers is only increasing.
You can find more coverage on KSHB 41's Data, Dollars and Demand series here. The continuous coverage since January explains what data centers are, why they are located in Kansas City and the concerns from neighbors about the potentially negative energy and water impacts.
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